Interview
Interview
Nectar Woode: “It’s selfish, but I want to make myself feel good first”
The Ticketmaster FRESH List 2026 artist opens up about her journey of self-discovery and how she nurtured her dopamine-inducing sound
Life must be pretty idyllic being Nectar Woode. Or at least you’d likely believe she exudes nothing but sheer positivity, after having basked in the warm glow of the singer-songwriter’s radiant neo-soul for the first time. Even spinning her tunes before speaking to the London artist on a bleak day in February seemed to summon the sunshine. Albeit for a few minutes.
Despite the dopamine-inducing sounds of her breakthrough track ‘Good Vibrations’ and more recent charmers like ‘Stick Fight’ or brand new single ‘Naturally’, it’s not always been strictly plain sailing.
Growing up in Milton Keynes and born to an English mother and Ghanaian father, Woode has straddled two worlds throughout her life, neither of which she’s felt entirely at home in. But music has been the language which has guided her through her journey of self-discovery, and she’s landed at a place where she just wants everyone listening to feel good. Given the infectious smile on her face throughout the interview, she’d no doubt defy anyone to feel anything different.
With a new mixtape – titled Naturally – on the way and with a slew of summer shows scheduled for the spring and summer, rising star Nectar Woode opens up about embracing her mixed heritage, lofty comparisons to her music idols, and the importance of cultivating her sound by playing live:
Have you had to learn that it’s ok to confront all kinds of emotions and experiences in your music?
100%. This is my end result of getting to that ‘positive vibe’. Everyone has life events to handle, we’re all going through a lot, we’re all carrying stuff. That’s why when I write, I lean towards being positive in my songwriting. It’s selfish, really. I want to make myself feel good first. It’s therapy for me. I usually just come to the conclusion that ‘it’ll be fine in the end.’ I just write songs like that. I want people to feel good when they listen to my music too.
You grew up in Milton Keynes, in a family home that had music reverberating through the corridors. But what were your first experiences of live music?
Live music would definitely happen in my house. My dad would play his saxophone with complete free will, not considering any neighbours whatsoever. So, at home, I was encouraged to put on performances for my family, for my brothers and sisters. Actual live music, it came via musical theatre. We only had a couple of music venues in Milton Keynes. Through musical theatre I learned to be confident, and to perform on stage. It was fun, but I got to an age when I was like, ‘no, I want to play the guitar’.
Never fancied doing Wicked on stage?
I mean, I love Wicked. I love musical theatre, that’ll never die. But from around sixteen years old I started doing open mics. I did open mics around Bedford, Luton, Northampton. Never in Milton Keynes though!
You studied at ICMP. Did you know you wanted to pursue music as a career before then?
It definitely helped steer me in that direction, being around likeminded people who wanted to do music. I found my crew. People that loved neo-soul and the music I couldn’t really admit to liking when I was growing up – it was all about J Hus at the time. I was listening to Erykah Badu etc, so I found my people who loved that. They would show me the ropes for London’s open mic scene. I didn’t really get into the South London jazz scene until I left uni.
The commune of live music seems to be consistently inspiring to you. How crucial has performing live in grassroots venues been?
That’s how you develop as an artist. It’s changed now, in terms of TikTok and how artists get discovered. I preferred the process of learning who I am as an artist through putting myself in uncomfortable situations. I write a song, then I perform it a day later, even though there [might only be] a handful of people there. But if one person likes the song, I know I’m on to something. It’s great to actually see your audience, and how they vibe with your music.
How do you think that’ll change when your audiences get bigger?
Uhhh I don’t know. I’d love to be a fly-on-the-wall. Village Underground was great. I could see everyone, chat to them, and they’d respond. Bigger shows, I might ask for a review. A feedback spreadsheet.
For your recent live EP, Live at Village Underground, was it the idea to introduce yourself in your natural habitat?
For sure. The way I’ve come up is through grassroots venues. But people that discover me via streaming don’t know that, necessarily. They might have found me through ‘Good Vibrations’ or one of my bigger songs, and have no idea that I even play live. I wanted to release a live album, so if people couldn’t physically make the show, they could experience it still.
You co-wrote ‘Only Happen’ with Jordan Rakei. How did your shared experiences over identity and heritage influence the song and how did these conversations start?
It’s great writing with a fellow artist. It’s a different kind of energy. We both get deep very quickly. We both wear our hearts on our sleeves. This was the first time I’d met Jordan and had written with him, so we were just getting to know each other. We bonded over our shared experiences. He’s from New Zealand and Australia, so we have completely adjacent lives. What we had in common however was being from mixed heritage. People wouldn’t necessarily think Jordan was from mixed heritage, and people wouldn’t know that straight away. We talked about that frustration, having all that incredible culture inside him and wanting to put it in a song. I have a different experience, but understand what it’s like to be of mixed heritage in this country. So yeah, ‘Only Happen’ came from our gelled experiences.
2025 was a landmark year in your career, but also on a personal level as you visited Ghana. Was it the first time you’d been to Ghana, and can you describe what that experience was like?
First time in Ghana. It was so much fun. I got to go there with my dad too. He’d lived there for thirty years before he came to England, so he was like ‘I’m back’. He was having a great time, showing me around his favourite places. I love the food. I’ve grown up with the food. A lot of my family moved here to London in the 90s. Going back, being in the place where everyone in my family is from, it gave me a lot of confidence to not question myself that way I was when I was writing ‘Only Happen’.
Where did you see live music in Ghana, and how did those experiences shape how you approached your recent songs?
Every. Day. I’d be at a different club or bar. There’s live music everywhere. There’s some amazing talent coming out of Ghana, from all different corners of music – R&B, soul, Afrobeats, everything. It’s all great. It was lovely to meet everyone. When you live there, you don’t have the questions I have. Everyone from Ghana is super welcoming and kind, that’s all I felt.
What questions are you referring to?
‘Where do I belong?’ ‘Where do I sit in this world?’ I’m of mixed heritage. My mum’s English. My dad’s Ghanaian. It’s 2026 and – with the rise of Reform – you’re not accepted for half of your identity. Yet, the other half being your English identity doesn’t accept you either. Then you ask yourself, ‘where do I fit in?’
Familial ties and your heritage seems to energise your music. Did you always intend to involve your family? Be it your dad playing sax, or writing a song about your sister in ‘Ama Said’, for example?
I always wanted to. I grew up in an environment where we’d all help each other creatively. My mum draws and she’d always ask for my opinion, from the age of five onwards. She always respected me even as a child. We always had a voice. So when I’m writing, I always have them in mind. This song was about my sister, so naturally I had her perform on the track.
What’s your dad like on the sax?
He’s great. He’s experimental. It’s giving… Andre 3000.
You’ve been talked about in the same breath as Olivia Dean, Lianne La Havas and Corinne Bailey Rae. How does it feel to be bunched in with these incredible artists?
So great. I love all of them. I listen to all of them. I’ve grown up with Corinne Bailey Rae. Lianne La Havas is an insane guitarist and has an incredible voice. High respect. Olivia Dean is paving the way for a lot of people. It’s flattering – they’re big names. Thanks to whoever’s comparing me!
